This Sunday: Fremont Brewing Releasing Homefront IPA

On Sunday, May 25, Fremont Brewing releases the 2014 version of Homefront IPA at the Urban Beer Garden, the taproom and beer garden at Fremont Brewing.

Everyone is invited to stop by and enjoy a pint of this very special beer. Official festivities run from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., but stop by any time to get a beer. Otherwise, look for Homefront IPA in 12-oz cans at better beer retailers around the Seattle area. This limited-release beer typically lasts about one month.

Fremont Brewing is one of the 11 breweries across the USA producing Homefront IPA this year (see below) as part of the Hops for Heroes project, which benefits Operation Homefront, an organization providing emergency financial and other assistance to the family members of our service members and wounded warriors.

Fremont Brewing became the first brewery to join the Homefront IPA team back in 2011 when Chris Ray approached the brewery about producing a special kind of beer for a very special cause. At that time, Chris played for the Seattle Mariners but planned to someday open his own brewery.

Not many professional baseball players spend their free time raking spent grain out of the mash tun. (Chris Ray at Fremont Brewing in 2011.)

Chris met with Fremont Brewing and devised a recipe that included using Louisville Slugger baseball bats as part of the conditioning process: unused maple bats are added to the conditioning tanks. Today they still condition the beer using pristine Louisville Slugger bats. On July 5th, Fremont Brewing holds a raffle to give away the bats. Buy raffle tickets at the Urban Beer Garden.

I attended the inaugural Homefront IPA brew session back in 2011 at Fremont Brewing and wrote a story about the experience (read it). Since then, Hops for Heroes continues to expand and this year hopes to pass the $200,000 mark. Collectively, participating breweries produced over 800 barrels of the beer this year, much of which will be packaged in uniform Aluminum cans provided by Crown Beverage Packaging and distributed across the nation.

Following the 2012 season, Chris Ray retired from baseball. Today he and his brother own and operate Center Of The Universe Brewing (COTU Brewing) in Ashland, Virginia. The Homefront IPA project continues to grow and this year ten different breweries across the country brewed Homefront IPA (listed below).

Center of the Universe Brewing Company, Ashland, VA

Fremont Brewing Company, Seattle, WA

Sly Fox, Pottstown, PA

Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL

Perennial Artisan Ales, St. Louis, MO

Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Houston, TX

21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA

Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, CO

Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, CA

Palmetto Brewing Company, Charleston, SC

Maui Brewing Co., Lahaina, HI

Click on the image below to see full size poster.

Press Release:

Hops for Heroes is excited to announce the participating breweries for this year’s brewing of Homefront IPA

Ashland, VA, March 18: Since 2011, Hops for Heroes has been expanding each year. The dedication to our troops by the craft brewing community can be seen with 11 total breweries participating in 2014. This dedication can also be seen by the growing number of sponsors, including Crown Beverage Packaging USA, who has come on board to supply a uniform can for this years efforts.

Center of the Universe Brewing Company, Ashland, VA

Fremont Brewing Company, Seattle, WA

Sly Fox, Pottstown, PA

Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL

Perennial Artisan Ales, St. Louis, MO

Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Houston, TX

21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA

Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, CO

Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, CA

Palmetto Brewing Company, Charleston, SC

Maui Brewing Co., Lahaina, HI

Homefront IPA was developed in 2011 by Fremont Brewing Company and Center of the Universe Brewing Company in order to raise money and awareness for Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront is a charity that provides emergency assistance to military heroes and their families.

Aged on Louisville Slugger maple bats, this IPA does more than just quench your thirst; it improves the lives of our soldiers. Homefront IPA is a unique charity beer in that 100% of the proceeds go towards Operation Homefront. With the help of 6 participating breweries and other organizations that donated the hops and grains used to make the beer, Hops for Heroes was able to raise roughly $80,000 dollars for Operation Homefront in 2013. This year, Hops for Heroes is hoping to top $200,000 and is set to brew 800 barrels (24,800 gallons) of beer between the 11 participating breweries. The beers will be debuting a week before Memorial Day.